The Family We Choose
by s4200
Summary: England, 1940. The Somervilles are evacuated from London to save them from the Blitz. They're expecting a new home, new friends, an adventure. But they definitely aren't expecting to be transported through a wardrobe to a magical land. Let's just say that they get more than they bargained for... A Pevensies and OCs story
1. Chapter 1

A/N: OK, so I know that this is a storyline that has been done over and over. Sorry about that. I just wanted to write my own take on it. I'm not really sure what this story is going to be like - I'm not going to stick closely to either book or movieverse. I'll probably be somewhere in between. Also, this is the first story I've ever posted on here, so I'm not entirely sure how everything works. Just thought I'd let you know! Anyway, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia.

 _"Look after them, won't you? They look up to you, Maisie, they listen to you. Keep them safe. All of you, stay safe."_

Maisie Somerville's eyes are closed. Her mother's words echo around her head, intertwining with the beat of the rails beneath them. Her hands are clasped - her head is leant against the window.

She opens her anxious eyes and traces them over her siblings. Philip, the youngest, is curled next to her, looking out the window and singing so softly that he can barely be heard. His teddy bear is held tight to his chest, and he bears an anxious expression that she has never seen on him before. He is, however, the cheeriest of the lot - Michael, only a year younger than Maisie, is sitting opposite her, only just managing to stay awake. And Annie - the middle child - is staring at the floor, barely moving. She hasn't spoken since saying goodbye to their mother, and she looks paler and thinner than ever.

Michael yawns widely, trying to cover it with one hand.

"Did you sleep at all last night, Michael?" Maisie asks despairingly.

Her brother blinks at her, hardly able to focus on her face. "I think I fell asleep at- at-" He yawns again. "- at four."

Maisie groans. "You really should try to sleep, Mike. You can't arrive to the Professor's dead on your feet. Sleep now, if you're that tired. It's a long journey, you've time."

Michael straightens and shakes himself off. "No, I'm all right."

"I couldn't sleep either, Maisie." Philip says from beside her. She turns to him, and he looks so small and scared that she immediately softens and puts an arm around him.

The small boy burrows in and peers up at her from under her arm. "I was worried. What if they aren't nice?"

"Who?"

"The Pevensies." He replies. "And the Professor, and Mrs Macready."

"They will be." Michael says reassuringly.

"But what if they're not?"

All eyes turn to Annie. Previously unseen tears have pooled in her eyes, and her lips are trembling.

Michael sighs and pulls Annie towards him, wrapping her in his coat.

"Then I'll protect you. Promise. Same goes for you, Phil." He makes a face at his younger brother, who laughs. Annie too seems reassured, snuggling into his shoulder.

Then Michael looks straight at Maisie. The message in his eyes is clear - _we've got to look after them._

She nods and smiles back, the churning in her stomach slightly abating.

Slam. The door to the compartment bangs open and the little family look up, surprised.

In the doorway stands a boy. He blinks at them for a second before smiling (a little nervously) and apologising. He is tall - about Maisie's age, maybe a little older. He has blonde hair and blue eyes, and wears a telltale name tag around his neck.

Maisie's adolescent mind chooses this moment to whisper that he's rather handsome, too.

"Do you mind if we sit in here?" The boy asks, his tone still somewhat apologetic. "Everywhere else is full."

"Of course." Maisie replies. "How many of you are there?"

"Four." The boy promptly says. "Myself, my brother and my two sisters."

Michael nods. "There should be space."

"Thank you-" The boy is interrupted by a girl appearing beside him.

"Oh, hello!" She exclaims.

The girl is impossibly pretty. Opposite her, Maisie can see Michael suddenly sitting up very straight.

"I see you found a compartment, Peter." The girl smiles at the blonde boy.

 _Peter. So that's his name._

"Yes, there's plenty of room in here!" Michael tells the girl. Maisie resists the urge to roll her eyes.

She charmingly thanks him and steps in, leaning up to put her suitcase above Annie's head. Another girl enters behind the first - she is younger, around Philip's age. She looks anxiously up at her brother, who is still standing at the door. He gestures for her to sit down, before disappearing into the corridor.

"Get off me!"

With enormous dramatic effect, a dark-haired boy clatters into the compartment. He pauses to survey the Somervilles, before huffing and flinging himself into the seat beside Annie. She flinches away slightly, and he glares at her, snarling, "What?"

Michael protectively pulls Annie closer.

"Ed!" The older girl exclaims, just as Peter reenters the compartment. With a weary sigh, he shoots the dark-haired boy a look, and then turns around to slide the compartment door shut. He puts the remaining suitcases into the overhead luggage rack and flops into the corner seat.

"Behave." The older girl hisses at the boy, before sitting down beside him, arms folded.

There is silence.

"So, what are your names?" Maisie asks quickly, eyes darting around the compartment.

The blonde boy seems glad of this. "I'm Peter, Peter Pevensie. And-"

"Did you say Pevensie?" Michael suddenly interrupts.

Peter frowns. "Yes…"

Michael begins to smile. "So _you're_ other family coming to stay at Professor Kirke's!"

Peter looks at Maisie. "You're the Somervilles?"

She grins at him and nods. "Sorry, carry on. My brother interrupted you."

Peter grins back. "Oh - yes - this is Lucy-" He points to the girl beside him. "- and Edmund-" He gestures to the sulky boy across the compartment. " - and-"

"Honestly, Peter, I can introduce myself." The older girl leans forward and smiles. "I'm Susan."

"Well, I'm Michael." Michael quickly announces. "This is Annie, and Philip, and my other sister, Maisie."

"I can introduce myself too, you know." Maisie reminds him. She turns to the others. "It's nice to meet you all."

"You too." Susan reaches out and shakes Maisie's hand.

"Delighted." Edmund mumbles, his tone definitely sarcastic.

"Ed!" Peter admonishes.

Edmund sighs and rolls his eyes, sliding down in his seat.

"He's not always like this." Peter says, quietly. Apologetic, yet again.

No-one quite seems to know what to say. Maisie clears her throat and breaks the silence again, asking another question.

"Where are you from?"

"Finchley." Susan replies, eyes still trained on her younger brother. "What about you?"

"Harrow." Maisie says.

The older Pevensies nod politely. Edmund is silent, and Lucy - Maisie searches Lucy out. She's sitting wedged between Philip and Peter, a solemn look on her face, sneaking peeks at the former.

"How old are you all?" Susan asks, bravely trying to keep the conversation going.

"I'm fifteen." Maisie says. "Michael is fourteen, Annie is twelve and Philip is ten."

"I'm fifteen too." Peter quietly says, looking straight at her.

"I'm thirteen." Susan adds. "Edmund is twelve too, and Lu is nine."

Hearing this, Philip suddenly sits up and wriggles Maisie's arm from his shoulder, turning to the young girl beside him.

"Do you know all of your times tables yet?" He asks her, his tone indicating that this is a matter of importance.

Lucy blinks, before replying in a surprisingly confident voice, "All of them."

"Really?" Philip seems impressed by this fact. "What about your twelves? Do you know them?"

Lucy instantly launches into her twelve times table. "12, 24, 36, 48-"

Edmund scowls. "Are they going to do that the whole way?"

Lucy turns around and scowls. "Shut up, Edmund. Just because you always get stuck on the nines.

Maisie is surprised and delighted to hear Annie laugh, but when Edmund turns a ferocious glare on her, she stops.

60, 72, 84, 96, 108, 120, 132, 144." Lucy finishes, much quieter, leaning in a conspiratory fashion towards Philip. They both giggle.

Maisie fixes a stony look on Edmund that makes him flush bright red and sink even further down in his seat.

Good girl, Maisie can hear her mother say. Good girl.

* * *

By lunchtime, Philip and Lucy have managed to form a friendship based off of their knowledge of school subjects. Once they have finished with mathematics, they move on to challenging each other's literacy skills. They sit together, happily sampling each other's sandwiches and debating whether 'determination' is spelt with one 't' or two.

Maisie is quietly relieved that the four Pevensies have turned out to be nowhere near as nightmarish as she'd feared they might be. The older two seem to be easy to get along with - and Edmund isn't too bad when he isn't talking. When he opens his mouth, the situation changes somewhat - but, nevertheless, she likes them all.

Eventually, Michael gives in and falls asleep - resting his folded arms on the window ledge and burying his exhausted head in them. Susan takes out a book - a detective novel - and sits frowning over it for the remainder of the journey. It's remarkable that, with her forehead creased and her eyebrows pushed together, she still manages to look nice. Edmund and Annie sit glaring at each other, in stark contrast to Philip and Lucy, who continue to chatter about anything that comes into their heads. Peter is silent and still - so quiet that Maisie almost thinks that he is asleep. But no - he's looking out the window at the land moving by.

Maisie turns around and does the same. The Somervilles rarely travel - Maisie has only left London twice in her life - so the countryside is a rare sight. Endless green fields flash by - forests, rivers - at one point, the train crosses a huge viaduct. Philip and Lucy rush to the corridor to lean out of the window, and after a moment's hesitation, Maisie follows them.

She reaches one hand out in front of her as far as she can, and looks down the length of the train to see dozens of other children doing the same. With the wind in her hair, the fresh air cold in her lungs and the valley stretching beneath her, Maisie feels suddenly hopeful. All her fears about leaving home and going to an unfamiliar place disappear, like shadows do when you turn on the light.

Maybe this _will_ be an adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia.

It is Maisie who spots the sign outside the window that reads, "COOMBE HALT", and it is her cry of, "We're here!" that flings the compartment into a frenzy of action.

Susan gasps and throws her book back into her satchel. Peter leaps to his feet and begins pulling suitcases from overhead. Lucy squeals and jumps from her seat, creating confusion when Philip is sent tumbling to the floor. The two of them laugh hysterically, while Edmund complains - loudly. Maisie stands up and helps Peter.

At the corner of the compartment, Michael is waking up.

"What's goin' on?" He mumbles, stretching his arms.

"We're here." Annie tells him, standing up and brushing off her coat.

"Here?" Michael opens his eyes blearily. "Here where?"

"Our stop." Maisie leans down to his level. "Coombe Halt. The Professor's! Get up!"

Michael groans, but gets to his feet and begins hustling Annie, Lucy and Philip from the compartment. Edmund follows, and Susan goes soon after, leaving in a whirl of energy and skirts.

Maisie quickly checks the compartment for anything that has been left behind, grabbing Philip's forgotten teddy bear from his seat and, with a sigh of resignation, Michael's coat and suitcase. She reaches up to get her own, and is suddenly attacked again by a swarm of anxiety. Is Mother all right? Will she be all right, on her own? Will they be all right?

"Coming?"

She turns to see Peter, patiently waiting at the door.

"Yes." She says breathlessly, and they go, stepping down from the train just as the conductor blows his whistle. Seconds later, the train begins pulling out of the station, leaving them on the platform.

"Made it just in time." Michael grins, arms folded over his chest.

Maisie rolls her eyes at him, shoving his belongings into his hands.

"You left these. I'm not sure what you were planning on wearing for the rest of our stay..."

He looks sheepish. "Sorry. Forgot those. I'm a bit tired."

She raises one eyebrow, smirking. "Oh, really?" She turns to Philip, interrupting his conversation with Lucy. "And you, young man-" She holds out his teddy bear. "I think you left this!"

Philip gasps. "How could I leave this?" He takes it, beaming. "Thank you, Maisie!"

Maisie just laughs, and walks over to where Annie is standing, staring after the train.

"Are you OK?" She says, quietly so she others can't hear.

"I miss Mum." Annie whispers back.

"Me too." Maisie wraps an arm around her sister's shoulders. "But we're all together, and it's going to be all right."

"I know." Annie sighs and leans into her.

"Peter!" Lucy shouts.

They all turn towards her. There is the sound of an automobile coming down the road. They all look at each other and think the same thing - it's the Professor come to pick them up! The group rushes down the steps at the side of the platform and stop by the side of the road, but the car keeps going, not even changing it's speed.

"The Professor does know we're coming?" Philip asks Michael doubtfully.

The older boy nods and replies, "Of course he does.", but doesn't sound too certain.

"Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled?" Edmund wonders, peering at his name tag.

"I'm sure someone will turn up soon." Peter tells them.

Maisie frowns. She reaches into her bag and pulls out the much-folded letter from the Professor and reads it again, but it still just says the same.

My housekeeper, Mrs Macready, will be at the station to meet the train, and will take the children to the house.

Then where is she?

Is the distance, Maisie can hear a clicking sound. She turns around to try to find it, and realises that it's coming from the end of the road. She steps down and looks as far as she can see.

"Look!" She calls.

Peter puts down his suitcase and joins her in the road. "Is that for us?" He murmurs disbelievingly.

"I think so." Maisie replies, glancing at him.

They rush back to the bottom of the steps and pick up their abandoned cases. Lucy and Philip demand to know what it is that they saw, and then stop and listen to the noise. They look at each other with wide, hopeful eyes.

A horse and cart trots out of the trees and comes to a stop in front of them. There is a collective sigh of relief.

The woman sitting on top turns to look at them. She grips the reins tightly in her gloved hands. Her grey hair is scraped back into a severe bun and she wears glasses that slightly magnify her eyes. She takes them all in - looking down the row, from Michael at one end to Maisie at the other.

"Mrs Macready?" Peter says hesitantly.

"I'm afraid so." She says, her lips pressed into a hard line. She has a Scottish accent, sharp and unfamiliar. "Well? Is this all?"

"It's just us." Maisie says quietly.

The woman nods curtly. "Up you get, then."

Philip scrambles up first, whispering excitedly to Lucy: "I've always wanted to travel by horse and cart!" Peter and Michael help the rest of them up, with the exception of Edmund, who refuses his brother's outstretched hand.

"Quickly now!" Mrs Macready is turned in her seat, watching them.

Peter gets up last, and as soon as he sits down, the woman turns and flicks the reins. With a shout of, "Walk on!", the cart lurches forwards.

The journey isn't long - it only takes about ten minutes, Mrs Macready tells them. In no time, they round a corner and go through a pair of gates, taking them onto a driveway. It slopes gently upwards, coming out through trees to miles of grass. A house comes into view - a manor house, huge and old and rambling. It looks fascinating. Maisie gasps unconsciously, and then blushes.

"Do you like it?" Mrs Macready unexpectedly asks.

"Oh! Yes." Maisie answers quickly.

Staying somewhere like this? How lucky are they?

The cart takes a track that goes around to the side of the house, and stops in front of an arched red door. A man runs out and takes the reins of the horse from Mrs Macready. She hops down and briskly tells the children to follow her, then strides up the steps into the house.

The hallway they find themselves in is wide and surprisingly light. Mrs Macready walks on ahead, her sensibly heeled shoes clicking on the oak floorboards. They follow her, making awed faces at each other over the high ceilings and marble steps and countless doors to countless rooms. They are lead up a staircase and then through a labyrinth of corridors that Maisie is sure that she will never remember. By the time that the housekeeper stops in front of a door, she feels as if she has walked miles.

The Professor had set aside five rooms for them, and it is in these rooms that they will be expected to stay, apart for meal times, when they will eat with the Professor. Mrs Macready tells them that they are welcome to go outside, but they will use the back staircase and they will not bring in mud. They will not shout; they will not run; they will not touch the artefacts. Most importantly, they will not disturb the Professor.

"Have I made myself clear?"

They nod and murmur assent. Even if they did disagree with the rules, none of them fancy their chances against Mrs Macready.

"Good." The woman draws herself up to her full height and nods, satisfied. "I'll leave you to unpack. I'll be back to fetch you for dinner in an hour." And then she's off again, disappearing around a bend, leaving nothing but distant echoes of her footsteps.

The children stare after her, and then look at each other.

Peter laughs. "Well, we're stuck here now. I don't know about the rest of you, but I couldn't get us back to the door that we came in through to save my life."

There is a sudden burst of laughter at this, and then they enter their rooms.

Lucy runs straight to one of the windows and starts shouting about the scenery to Susan, hopping up and down with excitement. Maisie, on the other hand, has no energy left. She lays her case down on a bed, and then throws herself down after it. The mattress bounces up as she falls on it, and she sighs, closing her eyes.

"Tired?" There is a squeak of bedsprings. Maisie opens her eyes a little, and sees Annie sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"Take your shoes off." Maisie automatically mutters.

Annie sighs resignedly and complies, before returning to her previous position. "I repeat my question. Are you tired?"

"No. Whatever gave you that idea?"

Annie scoffs. "Get up, Maisie-girl. You've got to unpack before Mrs Macready comes back."

Maisie groans and sits up. She wearily opens her suitcase and slides open the top drawer of her bedside table, beginning to relocate her clothes. At some point, she gets tired of bending down, and slides to the floor, leaning her head on her bed.

"Maisie! Annie!" Philip runs into the girls' room, grinning all over his face. He is closely followed by Michael, who flings himself onto Annie's bed, ignoring her protest.

"Hello, sisters of mine." He says, grinning at Maisie, who whacks him with one of her stockings.

"You deserved that, Mikey. Get off my bed." Annie says grumpily, shoving him over to make space for herself.

"Philip, help!" Michael calls. "They're turning on me!"

Philip, who is standing at the window with Lucy, turns around and rolls his eyes. "I'm not helping you, Michael."

Michael laughs and leans forwards. "So how are you liking this place?"

"It's scarily huge." Annie tells him. "Did you see how many rooms there are?"

"I did." Michael grins. "We've got to explore!"

"But Mrs Macready said-" Annie begins to say.

"We'll just tell her we got lost." Michael shrugs. "We might actually be telling the truth, in this place."

"But-"

Maisie smiles and leaves them to their bickering, continuing with her unpacking. When she finishes, she joins the conversation going on in the middle of the room.

The Pevensie boys have come through too, and are sitting on the end of Susan's bed, opposite Susan herself and Annie, who are sitting on Annie's bed. Philip and Lucy are on the end of Lucy's, and Michael is on the floor (having been pushed off his sister's bed). Maisie sits down next to him, enquiring what the others are talking about.

"We're talking about our exploration plans." Michael informs her.

"This place is huge!" Peter says. "It's too good not to explore."

"But what about the Professor?" Susan queries.

"We'll be careful." Michael shrugs.

"Why don't we just go outside?" Annie suggests.

Edmund looks at her. "What if it rains?"

"I think we should stick to the rules, to be honest." Maisie laughs slightly. "Who knows what Mrs Macready will do if she catches us around the house?"

"Mrs Macscary." Lucy says, and looks at Philip slyly. The two of them start giggling.

Peter looks amused. "That name actually suits her pretty well." He looks at Maisie, and sighs. "You're probably right. But I'm still dying to know what's in all of these rooms all the same."

"Children!"

They all jump and turn towards the door. Mrs Macready stands in the doorway, eyes roving over them all.

"It's time for dinner. Follow me."

She disappears again, and they scramble up, not wanting to be left behind. As they leave the room, Susan leans towards Maisie and whispers, "How long do you think she was standing there for?"

"Do you think she heard what we called her?" Maisie whispers back.

The two girls look at each other, and try their hardest not to laugh.

* * *

That night, Annie is the last awake in the girls' room. Maisie falls asleep first; then Lucy; then finally Susan. Their breathing steadies and slows, the room settling with a stillness and silence.

Annie stares up at the ceiling. She's exhausted - she'd hardly slept the night before. But now, with a comfortable bed beneath her and a blanket up to her chin, she can't even keep her eyes closed. She stares unseeingly at the black above her - the candle by the bedside having long gone out. And she lies, and she thinks - and soon enough, the darkness is pressing down on her head and seeming to crush her beneath it. This is it - her fingers start to tremble, her breathing quickens.

She has to get out.

She slips clumsily from her bed, pulling her dressing gown around her. After a few moment's scrambling, she fails to find her slippers and decides to go without. Her feet hit the rag rug beneath the bed, and then the cold floorboard. She pads over to the door and opens it, wincing at the creak it makes. She shuts it behind her, and slides down the wall of the corridor.

Someone has left the light of the girls' lavatory on, and so there is a gentle glow in the corridor. In the dim light, she steadies her breathing and soon enough, the shaking stops. Then, the inevitable tears come. She pushes the heels of her hands to her eyes.

Usually, her mother would now appear and bring her a hot water bottle and a candle. She would go to sleep, soothed by the heat and the light and the gentle kiss on her forehead. If it was an especially bad night, her mother would sit with her for a while, holding her hand until she slept. Before Dad had gone away, he would read her stories - quietly, so as not to wake the others. Sometimes they'd wake up anyway, and would come through, gathering in a quiet, comforting circle around them. Her father would read on, his voice never changing pitch, never getting louder or quieter. Steady, warm, calm. Just like him.

Annie presses her hands tight to her mouth, trying to stop the sobs that rack her body.

Missing, presumed dead.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is the last chapter before Narnia! I don't want to spend too many chapters on the Professor's, so I tried to fit it all in here. This chapter is actually the longest one yet.

When the morning comes, Maisie is woken by a sudden loud voice. She startles up, and sees Lucy at the window, a look of dismay on her face.

"It's raining!" The young girl groans.

Maisie gets up and joins her. The sky is bleak and grey - the ground is covered in a watery haze. It looks like they won't be going outside after all.

"Lucy, be quiet. You'll wake up the others." Susan mumbles, sitting up. She rubs her eyes, then sees Maisie. "Oh, I'm sorry." She turns to her sister. "See, Lucy?"

Maisie smiles at them both. "It's all right."

Susan sighs and flops back into bed, pulling the duvet violently over her head.

Maisie turns around to check on Annie, and sees the girl, curled up on top of her duvet. Her heart sinks. She walks over to her sister and gently pulls the duvet over her small body. Annie doesn't even wake up. Her skin bears goosebumps - she's obviously slept like that all night - and her face is covered in tear tracks. Maisie knows what that means.

Annie has always been afraid of the dark, even at home. But now, in a new house, a new bed, the fear must have been worse than ever. Maisie feels awful - she'd left her little sister to battle her demons alone.

As soon as Michael comes out of the boys' room, she corners him and tells him about it. He looks worried, and almost charges right into the girls' room to check on his sister, until she tells him that Susan is still asleep in there. They have a hushed discussion in the corridor - Peter comes out for a second and gives them an odd look. Eventually, they agree that Annie can wake Maisie up, if she can't sleep again.

By the time that the girl eventually emerges, everyone else is up and dressed. She has dark smudges beneath her eyes, and her entire posture screams exhaustion. Michael insists on carrying her down to breakfast - in fact, he insists on carrying her everywhere that day.

Later on, they find themselves in their sitting room, confined by the rain. Maisie still insists that exploration is a bad idea (although she is sorely tempted) and Peter reluctantly agrees. So, they are entertaining themselves.

Lucy and Philip are chattering on the window seat - Annie is snoozing on Michael's shoulder - Edmund is carving his name into a chair leg. Peter, Maisie, Susan and Michael are playing a guess-the-word game of Susan's own invention.

Maisie doesn't think that she has never been so bored.

"Come on, Peter. Gastrovascular!"

It's Peter's turn, and he gives a resigned sigh, before replying, "Is it Latin?"

Edmund adds a final flick to his name and slides out from beneath the chair. "Is it Latin for worst game ever invented?"

Susan slams the dictionary in her hands shut, scowling at her brother.

"I'm bored." Lucy slides off of the window seat and sits down in front of Peter. "Can we play hide and seek?"

Peter glances slyly at Susan. "But we're already having _soooo_ much fun..."

"Please?" Lucy drags out the word, looking up with pleading eyes that, evidently, Peter is unable to resist, because in the next moment he begins to count.

Lucy beams and runs from the room, Philip hot on her heels. Michael shrugs and pulls Annie up with him, and even though they seem unenthusiastic, Susan and Edmund go next.

Peter grins at Maisie, still counting. He puts his hands over his eyes and leans against a wall.

"Ten... Eleven..."

She whirls out into the corridor. Susan has disappeared already, Annie and Edmund are running up the corridor, and Lucy and Philip are nowhere to be seen. She looks down and sees Michael peering out at her from under a tablecloth.

"Plenty of room under here!" He hisses, and Maisie holds back a laugh. She scrambles under the table with him, and they begin the inevitable battle for space.

"I thought that you said there was lots of room!" Maisie elbows him.

"Well, there was, until you turned up..."

A shout echoes down the corridor. "Hey! Give me my hiding spot back!" The voice unmistakably belongs to none other than Annie Somerville.

"Uh oh." Michael nudges Maisie.

"I bet it's Edmund." She whispers back, seconds before the boy himself says, "No! I got here first!"

"You shoved me!" Annie yells.

"Run, Edmund, run." Michael murmurs.

"I did not! It is not my fault you're _slow!_ " Edmund sounds vaguely smug with this remark, but as any of the Somervilles could have told him, he won't be smug for long.

"Here we go..." Maisie tries not to laugh. As quiet as Annie may seem, she has a temper, and Edmund just might make her lose it.

"OW!" There is a thump as something (or someone) hits the floor.

"And Annie wins again..." Michael gives a mock round of applause, and Maisie bursts out laughing.

"Ninety six... Ninety seven... Ninety eight... Ninety nine..."

"We're back! We're back! We're all right!"

Peter's footsteps come out of the spare room and stop, just in front of Maisie and Michael's hiding spot. His voice is full of confusion. "I'm not sure you four have quite got the idea of this game..."

Maisie crawls out from under the table, ending up by Peter's feet. He stares down at her, and she gives him a bright smile, before standing up and looking down the corridor.

Lucy and Philip are standing in the hallway, panting. Annie is standing at the side, glaring down at Edmund, who is sitting in the middle of the floor. He looks shellshocked, gaping up at her, and Maisie resists the urge to laugh.

At Peter's words, Lucy and Philip's excited grins fall, and are replaced by bemused looks.

"Weren't you wondering where we were?" Philip says.

"That's the point." Edmund raises his eyebrows.

With an exasperated sigh, Michael emerges from beneath the table. "What's going on?"

At the same time, a breathless Susan rounds the corner. "Does this mean I've won?" She says, grinning.

"But..." Lucy looks from Maisie to Peter to Michael to Susan. "We've been gone for hours..."

"What are you talking about?" Maisie frowns.

Philip looks crestfallen for a second, but suddenly brightens. "Come on! We'll show you!" He turns to Lucy, and the two of them take off down the corridor, not looking back.

Maisie and Peter exchange a quick look, and then follow the others.

They are led to a room that is empty, apart from a huge, carved oak wardrobe, which stands at the back of the room. A dustsheet lies crumpled on the floor, and the wardrobe door is slightly ajar. Through it, Maisie catches a glimpse of fur. To her surprise, Philip makes straight for the door and steps inside, disappearing behind a sea of fur coats. His muffled voice floats out, accompanied by his footsteps.

"And there was a wood in here... and a lamppost... and lots of snow... and a faun!"

"He was called Mr Tumnus!" Lucy adds. "And the land was called Narnia!"

Philip appears again. "Come _on_! Come and see!"

Maisie looks around, and hesitantly steps forward. Philip jumps out of her way as she climbs into the wardrobe, and pushes through the coats. It's too dark for her to see anything, so she walks blindly forward, hands outstretched, and walks straight into the solid sheet of wood at the back.

"What am I supposed to be looking for, Phil?" She calls.

"Just walk through!" Philip answers confidently. "You'll come out into the trees!"

She sighs and turns around, coming back out. The younger children watch her eagerly as she steps down and smoothes down her clothes.

"There's nothing there."

Philip's face creases. "There is, you must have just missed it."

Susan has already climbed in. They can hear her uncertain footsteps and then, a gentle knock on the wood.

"The only wood in here is the back of the wardrobe!" She climbs out.

"But it really was there!" Lucy cries.

Edmund unexpectedly speaks up. "Well, I believe you." The entire group stares at him disbelievingly.

"You do?" Lucy says, looking very uncertain.

"Yes. " Edmund nods, and his face cracks into a grin. "Didn't I tell you about the football field in the bathroom cupboard?"

Peter's eyes darken from their usual sky-blue. "You always have to make everything worse, don't you?" He takes a step forward.

On the other hand, Edmund retreats, saying defensively: "It was just a joke!"

Peter gives a sigh, leaning back. "Oh, when will you just _grow up._ "

Everything about Edmund changes just then. He goes from looking small and slightly ashamed, to being suddenly furiously angry. He surges forward and yells, pushing right into Peter's face.

"Shut up! You think you're Dad, but you're not!"

With that, he whirls around and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him. There is a shocked silence. Peter stares after his brother, frozen. Susan glares at him, and says: "How was that supposed to help?"

He just looks at her blankly.

"We're telling the truth, Susan." Lucy says quietly.

"That's enough, Lucy." Susan says shortly and pulls the door open, stalking away.

Michael smiles sadly and reaches out to ruffle Philip's hair, but his hand is batted away. Looking mildly upset, Michael disappears, followed by Annie.

"Maisie..." Philip looks at Maisie pleadingly.

"Susan is right, Phil." She softly says. "That's enough."

Philip's face falls. He steps back, a stony look coming into his eyes.

With a sigh, Maisie leaves the room. Peter follows her, leaving their youngest siblings standing by the wardrobe.

Instead of going straight back to their rooms, she stops by a window and sits down on the bench beside it. She looks out over the farmland, and quickly finds the railway. She follows it to the horizon, gazing in the direction in which London must lie.

To her surprise, Peter sits down beside her. His eyes are lowered, and his hands are clasped. His fringe falls into his face, and he speaks quickly. "I'm sorry about Edmund and me. We used to be close, but since Dad went away, it's been different."

"That's all right." Maisie turns back to the window. "It's been different for us, too." She smiles wryly to herself. If only he knew how different...

Peter shifts slightly beside her. "I wish I could've gone too. If I'd only been a few years older - !"

She looks up at him sharply, feeling like she is being confided in. She studies him for a moment.

"Everyone in my family went." She tells him. "My uncles, my cousins, my dad..." At the last one, her heart gives a twinge. She clears her throat. "Michael wanted to as well, but he was too young."

"It's the same with us." He sighs. "I just... I feel like I'm missing out."

She laughs hollowly. It's getting harder and harder to talk about this with every passing moment. "Missing out on what?" She looks straight into his eyes. "Look, Peter, all you're missing is blood and mud and bullets. It's war, people go missing, they _die..._ "

He looks quietly back at her. "I'd just like to do my part. That's all."

Maisie looks away, letting it slide. "I suppose that's reasonable enough." Her voice sounds a little odd as she speaks, and she prays that he doesn't notice.

When she raises her head, Peter is frowning at her as if trying to puzzle something out. He stands up, and offers her a courteous hand.

"We should be getting back." He says, with a slight smile. She takes the hand and steps to her feet, letting go as soon as she is up.

* * *

Lucy watches the flame of the candle, letting it entrance her until she is the only one awake. She watches as it flickers and almost goes out, wavering in an unfelt breeze.

Narnia is real. She is sure of that - she has the handkerchief curled in her hand to prove it. And Philip was there too. They aren't _imagining_ the wood in the wardrobe.

Then why wasn't it there when the others had looked?

The candle gives Lucy an idea. She lies very still for a moment, considering it. She feels bad about leaving Philip out, but she since can't get in to the boys room to wake him up...

She gets out of bed and puts on her dressing gown and slippers. She picks up the candle, and sets off across the room, careful not to trip on the carpet. She opens the door as stealthily as she can, and slips down the corridor, feeling like a spy or a character in a novel. She smiles to herself, her only outward expression of the excitement within her.

The door to the wardrobe room is open, as if inviting her in. Her candlelight reflects on the uncurtained windows as she crosses the room. With one hand, she turns the door handle and cracks the wardrobe open. A wind rushes through the gap and blows out her candle. Lucy grins against the sudden cold, and steps in.

* * *

Maisie is woken by a loud thump and muffled shouting through the wall. She opens her eyes, and finds herself blind - the candlelight is gone. She jumps violently when she stretches out, and touches a warm body beside her.

"What is it?" Annie's sleepy voice comes through the darkness beside her.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Maisie whispers back: "Something's happening next door."

There is a groan from the other side of the room, and a rustle as Susan sits up. "What are they doing now?" Her bedside light clicks on, and Maisie winces in the sudden light. When her eyes adjust, she sees Susan staring down at Lucy's empty bed.

"Where is she?" Annie asks tentatively.

Susan glances at them. "She's next door. I heard her voice." She gives a resigned sigh. "Come on, let's go and find out what the matter is."

The boys' room has been sent into a state of chaos. Philip is standing on his bed, his bedcovers strewn on the floor. Michael is a loudly complaining lump beneath his duvet. At the sidelines, Edmund stands, looking rather uncomfortable. And in the centre of it all, a very tired Peter is attempting to talk to a very excited Lucy, who is bouncing on his bed. When he sees Susan and Maisie, his shoulders slump in relief.

"What's going on?" Susan folds her arms and strides to the centre of the room. Philip, who had been shouting to Lucy, stops yelling and stares at her. Michael emerges from beneath his bedcovers.

"I went to Narnia again!" Lucy cries. "And this time, Edmund went with me!"

All eyes turn to the boy in the corner. He shies back, shifty-eyed.

"...Ed?" Peter asks.

Edmund seems to hesitate, glancing at Lucy. "I... I was just playing along." He gets more confident. "I'm sorry for encouraging her, Peter, but you know what little kids are like these days." He smiles spitefully at the young girl. "They just don't know when to stop pretending."

Lucy bursts into loud sobs, and leaps off Peter's bed, running from the room. Philip sends Edmund a deathly look, and follows after her.

"Philip!" Maisie calls, just as Susan shouts, "Lucy!" They take off after the younger ones, Peter shoving Edmund onto his bed on the way out.

Maisie is panicking. It's a big house, but Mrs Macready is sure to hear them... They'll get in trouble, and they'll get sent home, and Mother will be _so_ ashamed, and they'll never see the Pevensies again...

She slows to a halt, dismayed, as she rounds a corner and takes in the sight before her.

Lucy is clinging to the legs of an eccentric looking, white haired man, while Philip stands by. The man is peering down at the two children over the tops of his glasses, a very bewildered look on his face.

Mrs Macready appears and gasps aloud. "I'm so sorry, Professor... I told them that you were not to be disturbed-" She gives them a look that doesn't bode well.

"Oh, that's quite all right." The Professor says mildly. "I'm sure there must be some rational explanation for this." He peers down at Lucy. "But first, I think this one is in need of some hot cocoa." He pats her on the shoulder.

Lucy detaches herself, still sniffling. Mrs Macready tuts and becomes suddenly maternal, putting an arm around the girl's shoulder. Philip steps forward and quietly requests to come too, and the housekeeper nods.

"Come along, dears." She leads them out of sight.

The Professor scrutinises the rest of them - excepting Edmund, who had stayed behind - and gestures for them to follow him.

They file silently into a high ceilinged room, it's walls lined with books. The Professor goes to the desk in the centre and pulls a wooden box out of a drawer. He lifts out a pipe, and sits down in the chair. He looks at them over the tops of his glasses.

"You seem to have upset the delicate internal balance of my housekeeper."

"We're very sorry, sir." Peter says. He takes Susan's arm and attempts to discreetly pull her from the room. "It won't happen again."

Susan resists. "It's our sister, Lucy."

"And our brother, Philip." Michael adds.

"Ah, yes." The Professor lights his pipe and puts it in his mouth. "The weeping girl and her friend."

"They're upset-" Maisie begins.

"Hence the weeping." He nods sagely.

"They think that they've found a magical land." Susan tells him. "In the upstairs wardrobe!"

Professor Kirke looks up suddenly, pulling his pipe from his mouth. He stands up, and leads Susan to a sofa. "What did you say?"

Maisie sits down beside them. "The wardrobe... Lucy and Philip say that there's a forest inside it."

"What was it like?"

"Like talking to a pair of lunatics!" Susan replies.

The man frowns. "No - not them, the forest."

"They said it was snowy, and there was a lamppost..." Maisie frowns. "And something called a faun."

"You're not saying you believe them?" Michael asks, leaning on the back of the sofa.

"And you don't?" The Professor stares at him.

"Well... no." Michael says.

"Logically, it's impossible." Susan adds.

"Logically..." The man mutters to himself. "What do they teach you in schools these days..."

"Arithmetic, and the ABC." Michael whispers. Maisie whirls around and shoots him a warning look, but luckily, the Professor hadn't heard.

"You think that we should just... believe them?" Peter says, frowning.

"I should say so." The Professor puts his pipe back into his mouth. "You're a family, aren't you?"

There is silence as they glance at each other.

"You might just try acting like one!"

* * *

The next day dawns bright and fair. After the disastrous game of hide and seek, the older Pevensies and Somervilles are desperate to get the younger ones out of the house. So, they settle on the grass outside, playing cricket with a dusty bat that Mrs Macready given them. Lucy and Philip are sitting among some trees close by, not wanting to take part, but seeming to have cheered up a little.

"And he's running up, and it's another wicket for Peter!"

The ball hits Edmund in the shoulder. "Watch it!" he shouts, scowling at his brother.

Peter laughs boyishly. "Whoops! Wake up, Dolly Daydream!"

Edmund turns to Susan. "This is boring. Can we play hide and seek again?"

He is quickly shouted down, no-one else being keen on the idea. Lucy looks daggers at him from across the grass.

Peter gets ready to pitch again, throwing a teasing smile at his brother. "Are you ready?"

"Are you?" Edmund shouts back, and lifts up the bat.

There is a crack as the bat strikes the ball. They all watch it as it glides through the air - and crashes straight through a window. There is a universal groan.

"Oh, well done." Peter looks at Edmund, who flushes rapidly.

"You balled it!"

They drop the cricket gear and leave it where it is, running into the house. Surprisingly, it doesn't take them long to find the broken window, and the scattered suit of armour that lies beneath it.

"Well, we're in trouble." Michael sighs, picking up a sheet of metal and looking at it uselessly for a second.

Maisie kneels down and picks up a few bits, trying to put them back together. "I'm sure we could fix it... If we just had a little time-"

Suddenly, they can hear footsteps coming down the corridor. The all-too-recognisable click of Mrs Macready's shoes.

"Mrs Macscary!" Lucy gasps. The group stares at each other for a second, before taking off down the corridor.

As soon as Maisie has started running, she is doubting whether she should. Wouldn't it be right to stop, and explain what had happened? But the adrenaline pushes her ahead, trying every door they come to. They are once again hopelessly lost. She searches the walls for something that she recognises, looking for somewhere to hide. She feels a rush of relief when she sees that Edmund has managed to find an unlocked door, and is holding it open at the end of the corridor.

She skids to a halt when she sees that the room is none other than the wardrobe room.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be joking." Susan expresses the sentiments of the group with a groan.

Philip and Lucy exchange a quick look, and run into the wardrobe. Annie follows on straight away, urgently calling them over.

The footsteps get closer.

They give in and climb into the wardrobe, Peter closing the door behind them. Maisie suddenly realises that eight people in one wardrobe is not the best of ideas, as they push each other, shouting and trying not to fall. She steps backwards, trying not to slip on the mothballs, and tries to find a space. A body crashes into her and says a hurried sorry - she pushes away from it and reaches out for the back of the wardrobe, but it seems to go on forever and ever.

Eventually, her hands meet something, but it isn't wood. She slides out of the fur coats, and gives a gasp as a wall of cold air suddenly hits her.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I haven't written anything in a while. I went back to school a few weeks ago, and I was a bit preoccupied trying not to drown underneath all of my coursework, but I'm back now! Also, thank you **Deany-Elle** for the review! My first review ever :))  
So, they've found Narnia, and now the story begins for real...

Maisie's mouth falls open. She reaches out and gently touches a snow-laden branch above her, and it is just as prickly and cold as it looks.

Is she hallucinating? Is she dreaming? Perhaps she ate something strange?

Peter and Susan fall down beside her and let out twin gasps. Susan turns to look at Maisie, a look of astonishment in her eyes. "Impossible..."

Michael stands behind Maisie, a slow smile spreading over his face.

All around them, there is a pine forest, every surface coated in snow. In the distance, Maisie can see two beautiful icy mountains, rising above the land. Through the trees, there is a gentle yellow glow that seems to invite her towards it. "Looks like the Professor was right." she whispers.

Peter turns to Lucy, smiling ruefully. "I suppose saying we're sorry doesn't really cover it, does it?"

Lucy looks to Philip. "No..." With unexpected speed, the small girl scoops up a handful of snow and flings it at her brother, who doesn't even have time to duck. "But that might!" She giggles.

Peter laughs, and retaliates. A rogue shot from Lucy hits Maisie, and she jumps into the fight, managing to stuff snow down the back of Michael's neck. He lets out a battle cry, and throws a handful into her stomach, but only a second later is hit in the face with a huge snowball. Maisie and Michael look up to see Susan, the culprit, giggling at them, and then it's all-out war.

"Hey!"

The laughter trails off. Maisie turns to stare at Edmund, who is brushing snow off of his jumper.

The grin fades from Peter's face. "You little liar!" He moves forward. "Apologise to Lucy."

Edmund says nothing. His eyes flicker around the circle and settle back on Peter, defiant.

"Say you're sorry-!" Peter suddenly yells. Maisie blinks at him, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Alright!" Edmund looks alarmed. He turns to the little ones. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's all right, Ed." Lucy smiles sweetly. "Some little children just don't know when to stop pretending."

Philip sniggers.

"Oh, very funny. " Edmund mutters, flushing.

"Well..." Susan looks wonderingly at the trees again. "We should get back."

Maisie is about to protest, when Edmund hastily interrupts. "Shouldn't we at least take a look around?" He glances in the direction of the mountains.

"I think that..." Maisie says, looking at the youngest of the group. "Philip and Lucy should decide. What would you like to do?"

They glance at each other, delighted, and Philip bursts out, with Lucy nodding enthusiastically beside him: "We'd like you to meet Mr Tumnus!"

"Mr Tumnus it is then." Michael shoots Maisie a quick smile.

"But we can't go hiking in the snow, dressed like this!" Susan, the ever practical, says.

Peter steps back into the wardrobe and emerges with armfuls of fur coats. "No, but I'm sure the Professor wouldn't mind if we borrowed these. And if you think about it logically," He pauses in front of Susan, grinning and holding out a coat. "We're not even taking them out of the wardrobe."

Susan laughs and pulls on her coat. Maisie smiles her thanks at Peter as he hands her a coat, and turns to Philip, who is swamped by his.

"I'm really sorry I didn't believe you, Phil."

He smiles at her as she kneels down and rolls up his sleeves. "It's fine. We're all here now."

* * *

Lucy and Philip dart off ahead. Maisie and Michael fall into step beside Peter and Susan. Edmund lingers at the back, clutching his girl's coat around him. Annie glances hesitantly around the group, and eventually drops back to walk with Edmund. He looks at her sideways, but uncharacteristically doesn't say anything.

There's something up with Edmund. Why would he tell them that he hadn't been to Narnia? What was the point in lying? And, most confusingly, why did he want to come back? It didn't make sense.

After a minute or so of crunching through the snow in silence, Annie is dying to ask him these questions. So she breaks her silence, and asks: "Why did you lie?"

"Don't know." He kicks a bit of snow.

"Well, why were you so desperate to explore?" She persists.

He gives her a look, but answers. "Last time I was here, I... saw something. I'd just like to see it again, that's all."

"What did you see?"

"Nothing! Stop asking questions!" He snaps.

"If it's nothing, then why do you want to see it so badly?"

"I'm not going to tell you, all right?"

They glare at each other for a second, and then Annie looks away.

"Fine. I'll find out eventually."

"Good luck." Edmund says darkly.

"I will. You'll see."

She speeds up her pace and walks away.

* * *

Philip and Lucy run through the trees. They weave in and out, ducking snowy boughs and tree trunks. Lucy is slightly ahead and she is shouting about tea and cake and biscuits and panpipes and a warm, warm fire. Her coat flies out behind her. Philip is laughing, his breath coming out in smoke, and his heart full of gladness.

"Wait for us!" One of the others shouts, but the two of them pay no heed, swirling away.

Eventually, they exhaust themselves and wait for their siblings. The group shortly emerges from the trees, Edmund trailing sulkily behind on his own.

"You walk so slowly!" Lucy says. Philip looks at her and they both breathlessly laugh.

"No, _you_ ran off." Susan smiles at them. "Which way to Mr Tumnus?"

"This way!" Philip and Lucy once more lead the group, this time going at a more sedate pace. They turn around and tell their family all about Mr Tumnus and his home.

"And there'll be lots and lots of lovely food..." Lucy is saying, turning her head backwards. "And there'll be lots and lots of-"

Philip stops in his tracks. The door to Mr Tumnus's house is smashed in, an ominous darkness showing behind it. Lucy has seen it too, for her voice trails off.

He starts running, ignoring the shouts of his family, and slips through the gap between the door and the frame. He stops and stares around at the devastated room he remembers as being so warm and friendly. Lucy's footsteps come in behind him, and she moves to his side.

"What happened?" She whispers, sounding close to tears. Philip just shakes his head.

The others come in, and Philip turns to face them. They look around at the smashed plates on the floor and the scratches and marks on the walls, their faces confused.

"This is Mr Tumnus's house?" Michael asks.

"It _was_." Philip replies.

There is a sound of tearing paper as Peter rips something off of the wall. He clears his throat and begins to read something out.

"The faun Tumnus has hereby been arrested on suspicion of high treason and... consorting with humans..."

Philip turns around and sees Peter exchange an unreadable look with Susan.

"Signed, Maugrim... Chief of Secret Police." Peter drops the paper to the floor. "Long live the Queen."

"What does that mean?" Maisie picks up the paper and turns it over, examining it.

"It doesn't exactly sound good..." Michael says.

"No, I don't like it. Let's go back." Susan glances nervously into the dark corners of the room.

"Don't you get it?" Lucy says, her eyes really filling with tears now. "We're the humans. Philip and me. It's our fault."

"We have to help him." Philip adds.

There is a rustling from outside. Maisie goes to the door and then turns back to face them. "Did you hear that?"

Philip hears a sudden trill of birdsong and then, sharply and distinctively - _psst._ Something is trying to communicate with them.

They walk out onto the snow, Peter going first. Philip's heart is suddenly beating very fast, and he realises that he's actually scared. The trees continue to rustle, and the bushes to move. The group instinctively move together, and he can feel Annie's fingers closing around his wrist.

"Hello?" Lucy calls, her voice quavering.

Then - and Philip jumps in fright, then laughs at himself - a beaver jumps out of the bushes and looks beadily at them.

"It's a beaver!" Maisie says, sounding more surprised than relieved.

"We can see that." Michael says quietly. Maisie glares at him, and he grins back.

Looking very unsure of what he's doing, Peter bends down and holds one hand out to the beaver. "Here boy..." He makes a clicking noise with his tongue.

The beaver shuffles forward, looking from Peter's hand to his face and back again. It rears up onto its hind legs, and opens its mouth. For one wild second, Philip is sure that it is going to bite Peter, but what happens next is even more sensational.

"Well, I ain't gonna smell it, if that's what you want!"

Maisie squeaks in shock. Philip bursts out into disbelieving laughter.

Peter stares at the beaver, dumbfounded, before straightening up, muttering an embarrassed, "Sorry."

The beaver smiles around the group, and then focuses on one of them. "Lucy Pevensie?"

The girl stops laughing, and gazes at the piece of white fabric, clutched in the beaver's paw. "That's my handkerchief..."

The beaver nods solemnly. "Mr Tumnus got it to me just before they took him."

"Why..." Susan begins, but trails off when the Beaver shakes his head.

"Not here." He glances around. "Too many listeners. Further in." He beckons the children to follow him, and takes off through the trees.

Maisie looks about her. "What does he mean, listeners? There's no-one here but us."

Philip looks at Lucy. "Mr Tumnus said that some of the trees were on her side."

Lucy nods, worriedly.

"What are you talking about?" Michael asks. "The trees? On who's side?"

"We should go home." Peter says.

"But the beaver said-" Lucy begins.

"He's a beaver!" Susan says. "He shouldn't be saying anything!"

"Are you coming or not?" The Beaver has come back, and is staring at them.

Lucy shoots her older siblings a defiant look, and follows the beaver. Philip glances to Maisie and Michael.

"Don't you dare, Phil." Maisie automatically says.

Philip hesitates.

Annie surprises them by stepping through the group, tugging her coat around her, and walking away into the woods, without even glancing back.

Michael huffs, and goes after her. A few steps forward, he turns and says, "We may as well just go. This beaver seems nice."

"He seems _very_ suspicious!" Susan hisses. "Who knows what could happen?"

Michael shrugs, and disappears into the trees.

Philip is left with Maisie and the three Pevensies, all staring at the departing footprints. The former gives a sigh and looks at her brother.

"Let's get this over with then..."

* * *

By the time that they make it to the Beaver's home, the sun is setting, making the beautiful landscape somewhat frightening. Worst of all, Annie is freezing. Her fingers and toes are completely numb. Her dainty boots, which had seemed so lovely and elegant in London, have turned out to be completely unsuitable for snow.

They walk through forest for what seems like hours, every now and then emerging into rocky clearings. Annie's eyes are constantly drawn to two mountains, which they are getting closer to by the minute. She doesn't like them. The snow on their caps makes them look so dark and tall and forbidding that every time she looks to them, she feels a shiver on her neck.

But when they reach the top of a deep valley and see the glowing windows of the Beaver's dam, Annie feels all the cold roll away. It looks inviting, cosy, and - most importantly - warm.

The door opens, sending an oblong of golden light onto the snow. "Beaver? Is that you?" A distinctly female voice calls. A shadow appears in the light and another beaver steps out onto the snow, this one wearing an apron. "If you've been out with Badger again, I'll-"

At that moment, Philip slips and slides down the rest of the path, coming to a halt at the other beaver's feet. She stops mid-sentence and stares down at the boy on the ground. He smiles sheepishly.

"My wife." Beaver explains, grinning, before bounding down the rest of the path.

"Who's this?" The beaver's wife asks, still staring at Philip.

"I met some children in the woods." Beaver kisses his wife on the cheek. "You'll find out in a moment."

Mrs Beaver looks up and sees the other seven children. For a second, her mouth drops open, but she quickly composes herself, reaching down and helping Philip up. "Well, I'll get the kettle on, shall I?" She smiles at them all. "Come in!"

She bustles back into the house, and Annie is glad to follow her.

Once the door is shut, Beaver seats all of the children around the room. Most of them are around the table, but due to a lack of chairs, Annie and Edmund sit on the stairs to the door. Cups of tea are issued, and they all settle down.

Mr Beaver sits down and looks around at them. "You've gotta know why you're here." When no-one answers, he gapes. "Come on, you must know. The prophecy?"

They exchange blank looks.

The beaver turns to his wife. "They don't know the prophecy!"

She hushes him, and turns to the children. "There's a Narnian prophecy that goes, when Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sit at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done." She points to them. "You are sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, aren't you?"

"Apparently." Michael replies, wearing a bewildered expression.

"Well," Mrs Beaver presses on. "If you didn't understand, the prophecy means that when humans come to rule Narnia, the White Witch's reign will be over."

"Who's the White Witch?" Peter asks.

"The High Queen. Jadis." Mr Beaver interjects. "She's the one who took over Narnia and created the eternal winter. When she dies, it'll be summer again. See?"

Mrs Beaver hushes her husband. "I'd better start from the beginning, hadn't I?"

They nod.

"Well, as Beaver said, Jadis took control of Narnia a century ago. She's..." Mrs Beaver shudders. "She's evil. Most of the citizens of Narnia want rid of her more than anything. But when she came to power, two prophecies were made. The first, you've heard. The four thrones at Cair Paravel will be taken by humans. The second says that there will be four more humans, a perfect balance to the others. It will be their strength and values that make it possible for the war against the White Witch to be won." Mrs Beaver points to the children. "And here you are."

"There must have been some mistake..." Michael begins.

"There's something else." Beaver leans across the table, and whispers. "There are rumours that Aslan is on the move."

Annie sits up very straight. She feels suddenly both very warm and cold, all at once. It's a strange, indescribable feeling, and it stirs her bones. She feels a quiver of excitement in her fingertips, without knowing why.

"Who is Aslan?" Maisie whispers. Her eyes are wide.

"He's the true king of Narnia." The Beaver's eyes sparkle. "He's a great lion, with a flowing mane. His roar is so loud that it can be heard for miles around."

In the silence that follows, Annie sees movement from the corner of her eye. She turns her head, and sees Edmund gently opening the door and slipping outside. She looks to the others, who are oblivious. Edmund must have been very quiet indeed.

Making a sudden decision that she is sure that she will soon regret, Annie stands up and walks carefully up the stairs. She freezes when one creaks, but still manages to escape unnoticed into the snow.

The door shuts behind her, her coat lying forgotten on the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm sorry - I've been neglecting this recently. Thank you to everyone who followed or favourited this story, and thank you to **Beneari** for the review - I feel like now there are people who are actually reading this, I should update it... Here's Chapter 5!

* * *

Annie is stunned by the cold. She gasps and blinks into the steadily gathering darkness and blizzard, her eyes adjusting. The shadows get in the way of her vision and it takes her a while to find Edmund's dark huddled figure, making his way up the side of the valley. She sets off after him, making sure to keep him in her sights. He keeps looking back, but she is always careful to take cover. They walk for a long time, Edmund seeming to know his destination.

Then, Edmund disappears. She looks down for a moment, and when she looks back, he has disappeared. She feels suddenly terrified. Here she is, alone in the woods, with darkness coming. She has no idea where she is, or how to get back to where she had come from. Panicking, she speeds up in the hope of finding Edmund, and then-

"I knew it!"

Annie yelps and loses her footing. She plunges to the ground and falls up to her elbows into the snow.

Edmund stands above her, looking triumphant and faintly relieved.

"I knew that there was someone following me!"

Annie huffs and stands up.

"What are you doing anyway?" Edmund continues.

"Following you." She says. "I wanted to know where you were going."

"Not telling. And no, you can't come."

"I've got to." She replies. "I don't know the way back from here, and I bet that you don't either."

He examines her, and sighs. "Fine. I suppose that I could do with some company anyway."

Annie smiles as they begin to walk. "Admit it, you were scared of walking through the scary woods _all on your own._ "

"Was not!"

"Yes, you were!"

"Well... So were you!"

She nods seriously. "Yes, I was. It's frightening."

Edmund doesn't seem to know what to say to this. "Huh."

"So... Where are we going?"

He shoots her an unreadable look. "It's a surprise."

Annie rolls her eyes, but goes along with this. She crosses her arms over her body, shivering. "It's freezing out here."

He looks at her, an annoyed look on his face. "I'm not cold."

She sighs. "Will you at least tell me how long this is going to take? I'd like to get back before the others notice that we've gone."

Edmund scoffs at that. "They've probably already noticed. They're probably out looking for us."

She shivers again. "We should go back, Edmund. It's getting dark out here, and anything could happen to us... Maisie'll be worried."

"We don't know the way back, remember?" Edmund says. "Anyway, I'm carrying on. Go and lose yourself in the woods if you like. _I_ don't care what you do."

She looked at him as he walked, the waning light casting strange shadows on his face.

"You're not very nice, you know." She says quietly.

Edmund stares straight ahead, refusing to look at her.

"I don't care." He says, sounding less confident in this fact than he had done a moment ago.

Annie glances back into the trees behind her, and shudders at the sight of the menacing shadows. They seem to form shapes - shapes of wolves, tall figures, strange hands reaching out from the branches. At times like this, an imagination is a curse.

Deciding that she has no other choice, she follows Edmund further and further through the woods.

* * *

"She's _lost!_ " Michael yells. "Our little sister is out there, in the dark, scared and cold and _alone-"_

"And Edmund!" Susan joins in.

"We have to find them-" Michael feels sick to his core. How could he stop paying attention? How could he look away? What if something happens to her? He gets up and pulls on his coat, darting towards the door.

"Wait just a minute!" Mrs Beaver calls. She hurries after the children. "It's too dangerous for you to rush off like that!"

"We can't _wait!_ " Peter says.

Michael is outside before anyone can stop him, quickly overtaking everyone else. "Annie!"

His yell echoes off of the valley. Breathing quickly, he looks around in desperation, but there is no trace of Edmund and Annie. The blizzard swirls around him. "Annie!"

"Michael-" Susan emerges from the door.

He turns to her. "There's no footprints or anything - how are we meant to find them?"

"The Beavers have an idea of where they've gone." Her face is stretched with worry.

"Where?" Michael demands.

Maisie and Peter come out onto the snow, Peter answering Michael's question. "They've gone to the Queen's castle."

"But why-" He stops, and realises. "Oh."

Edmund had been to Narnia before.

"There's no time to lose." Maisie looked at her brother, and an unspoken message passed between them. "We have to get them back, or-"

Michael shivers.

* * *

Annie is scared. She had the feeling that she'd had when the air raid siren used to go off - how very long ago that seemed. She remembers running down the streets, chaos and light and noise on all sides, broken glass crunching beneath her feet. Then, the dark waiting silence of the shelter - feeling her pulse in her fingertips and a mess of nerves in her stomach.

Now, there is silence. She is surrounded by shadows, and she doesn't want to look behind her - just in case there is something there.

Edmund does not seem at all afraid. He walks boldly in front, his step lighter and lighter as they near their destination. A few times, he throws her an impatient glance, as if to say, 'Hurry up. I've got somewhere to be.'

After what seems like forever, they come out of the trees and begin to walk down hill, along a steep path that joins up with many others on the way and becomes almost a road. After a while, a pair of gates come into view - beyond them, there is a castle, blurred by mist.

Annie stops and stares forwards. She doesn't feel good about this.

"Edmund?" Her voice quavers.

He stops and looks back at her, his irritation now obvious. "What?"

"We should go back. I don't like this."

He shoots her a look of utter disgust. "Fine. Have it your way." With that, he continues, speeding up as he walks ever closer to the gates.

"Edmund!" Annie cries. He doesn't stop, and after a moment, she breaks into a run to catch up with him.

As they near the gates, they swing silently, smoothly open. Edmund walks through without a backwards glance, but Annie stops and hesitates. Behind her; the dark of the trees. Before her; the unknown of the castle.

But there is no choosing in a situation like this, and she stumbles after Edmund, knowing even before they do that the gates will shut behind her. There's no going back now. She expects every moment for the ground to collapse beneath her, or for the sky to fall. This is not a good place; every footstep rattles through her body, sending a chill of foreboding to her trembling hands. Around them there are hundreds of stone statues, their expressions tortured and fearful.

And it is silent; too silent.

In a crunch of teeth and claws and snarling, Edmund is whirled to the ground by a furry streak of lighting. Annie screams and falls backwards - the creature sets its yellow eyes on her.

"Who are you?" The creature - the wolf - growls, looking between the two children. "How dare you intrude upon the home of the queen?"

Edmund's eyes are wide in shock. "We- I- I am Edmund. The queen told me to come here."

Only a moment later, the wolf has leapt from Edmund's chest and is snarling out a smile. "My apologies, fortunate favourites of the Queen. This way."

Edmund scrambles to his feet and looks back at Annie, looking scared for the first time. Her insides twist.

They follow the wolf - what else can they do? Annie keeps close to Edmund's side, looking down at the paw prints beneath her feet. They make their way through the last of the statues and enter the castle through a huge pair of frostily translucent doors that, like the gate, swing open at their approach. It is no warmer inside than out, and she shivers anew as they come into an icy chamber. A raised platform is before them, upon it a throne seemingly made of icicles, covered in silver-white furs. It is gloomy inside, the light coming from below the floor. Shadowy alcoves lead to other rooms, long passages stretching away into the depths of the castle.

The wolf makes a deep bow. "Please wait here." It leaves through one of the doorways, and the children are left alone.

Edmund's mouth is open in wonder. Having forgotten his fright, he looks curiously up at the arched ceiling and runs his hands over the walls, not flinching when his fingers meet the frozen surface. Annie, paralysed, watches him move around the room, only forced into action when he climbs up to the throne and reaches out towards it.

"Edmund!" She hisses. "We'll get into trouble!"

He ignores her and sits down on the furs. Lips quirking up into a disbelieving smile, he places his hands on the arms of the throne and looks around the room, his eyes passing over Annie in an instant.

"Like it?"

At the voice, Annie feels an immobilising wave of fear and nausea, and sways on her feet. Fearful eyes dart towards a woman standing in the corner of the room - startlingly bright, she seems to glow.

Edmund jumps up, stumbling down from the platform. "Y- yes."

The Queen smiles. She steps forward, pulling a slipping white fur up onto her slim shoulder, and sits down on her throne, chin jutted forward. Her face is sharp - the skin white, eyes the very palest blue. She looks at Annie, and the smile widens. Annie trembles.

"Who is your friend, Edmund? Is this one of your sisters?"

"Oh - that's Annie." Edmund says quickly, dismissively. "She's one of the other ones."

"Ah... I understand. And your families, children... Are they in Narnia also?"

The Queen's tone is sweet and deadly. Annie doesn't answer, and gulps.

"Yes. All of them."

"Tell me, Edmund... Is your brother... unintelligent?"

At that, Edmund becomes conversational. "Well, I think so, but _Mum_ says-"

The Queen stands up, that carefully painted expression melting away to fury. "Then _why_ have you returned alone? I told you to bring the others, did I not?"

He steps back. "I meant to, honest - but I wanted to see you!" He seems desperate for a redeeming statement, and, to Annie's horror, says: "I brought them halfway! They're at the Beavers'!"

She looks at him in disdain, her head raised high. "You have very much disappointed me, Edmund."

He looks hesitant. "Could- could I have some more Turkish delight? Please?" He adds as an afterthought.

The Queen scoffs. "No." Cold eyes glaring down, she says: "Take them to the dungeons. Maugrim - ready the pack. We have some children to find... At the Beavers', did you say?"

Edmund's eyes are wide - this is clearly not what he had expected. Annie's head is swimming - something is wrong with her. She lurches forward and clutches Edmund's arm, clinging to it - if she lets go, she will fall.

The wolf reenters the chamber, and smirks its cruel smile. Giving a howl, it runs from sight, and Annie soon hears the sound of others following it away from the castle. She is too dizzy now to focus, and sees only the flashes of teeth and claws, streaks of grey and silver passing the chamber. She thinks of her family, and wants to cry.

Someone is beside them, a small man with a knife in his belt and ropes in his hands. Cackling, he wrestles Edmund away from her and begins to tie his wrists. Only just staying standing, she allows him to tie her hands too before they are shoved towards a downwards staircase. She clatters into the walls, delirious. The dwarf's rough and impatient hands push them into a cell and slam a barred door behind them. He leaves, the sound of jingling keys reverberating inside Annie's head. She falls, whimpering as her body hits the floor.

"Annie?" Edmund sounds terrified, and very far away. "Annie? Are you all right? Annie?"

She tries to open her eyes and fails. Her fists clench. She will not slip away, she will not give in, she will not...

The world fades to black.

* * *

His throat hoarse from shouting, Michael slumps back against a tree. Two small, dark figures disappear into the grey beyond the castle gates.

"They're gone." Maisie says, blankly. He looks at her, and sees the pain in her face, hidden away. She will not show it. He knows her too well to believe that she will.

Susan turns hopelessly to the Beavers. "What will she do to them?"

"How can we get them out?" Michael cuts in.

Mr Beaver looks solemn. "You know what they say... Them that go in there, often don't come back out."

"We should go after them." Michael says.

"You'd be falling straight into her trap!" Mr Beaver shouts. "She wants all of you!"

"We've got to rescue them!" Peter says, frustration evident on his face. "You think we can just leave them?"

"Of course not!" Mrs Beaver glances at her husband. "It's just that- well, perhaps there is a way..."

"How?" Michael speaks for them all.

"It's a chance." Mrs Beaver says. "We've got no solid facts - there's only rumours, but-"

"What is it?" Susan demands.

"Aslan." Mrs Beaver whispers, glancing twitchily back into the trees. "His camp is at the Stone Table, so they say."

Michael pushes himself off of the tree, unfolding his arms. He glances back at the castle, shut up like a fortress, and thinks of his little sister, within those walls.

"All right. We'll go."

The others look at him. The Beavers look worried.

"Even if it's just's a chance," He continues, "We've got to take it. The alternative is breaking in there on our own. I mean, I'll do it if it comes to it - but we don't have a chance if it's just us. If this Aslan is as great as you say he is-"

At this, the Beaver scowls. "He's greater."

A hint of a smile on his face, he goes on. "If he's as great as you say - sorry, _greater_ \- then we could definitely use his help."

Peter looks at Michael with a sort of approval on his face. "So, Mr Beaver, could you show us the way to the Stone Table?"

"How far is it to go?" Susan asks. "How long will it take?"

"A few days, maybe less." The Beaver looks around at them all. "I can show you the way."

"We'll have to go back to the Dam first." Mrs Beaver cuts in. "To get supplies."

"What are we waiting for?" Maisie says. Michael looks at her; she gives him a quick nod. "Let's get going."

The snow still falling around them, they turn and follow their fading footprints, back the way they came, unnoticing of the wolf howls that grow ever closer as they move towards their destination.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: New chapter! I hope that everyone has had a great Christmas... I have, kinda, but I have mock exams after the break so I'm meant to be revising... Safe to say I've not done much of that :)) Thanks to **optymalna** for the review!

* * *

Annie wakes to a cold floor beneath her leaden limbs and an ache in her head. She groans and slowly pushes herself up on trembling wrists, to discover a folded jumper that her head had been resting on. Her hands have been untied. She looks around - sure enough, in the corner of the room, Edmund sits curled up, shivering. He is wearing a flimsy white shirt, his jumper curiously absent.

A wave of anger surges through her. She picks up the jumper and flings it towards the boy, who yelps and looks at her.

"What was that for?" He cries.

"You _idiot._ " Annie hisses. For a few moments, she is overtaken by a coughing fit which shakes her entire body. Afterwards, she carries on weakly but with just the same amount of venom: "You brought us here for _sweets._ You betrayed the others for _sweets._ "

He stares back at her, and quietly says: "It wasn't just the sweets. She was nice to me. She said she'd make me king."

Annie scoffs and looks away, shaking her head. With difficulty she begins to push herself towards the wall. "You still betrayed the others. Did you see? She sent her wolves after them. What's happening to them now?"

What is happening to them? Who knows what could have happened already? She thinks of the sharp claws and teeth, and then of Maisie's bright smile. She feels her eyes fill with tears, and chokes back a sob. Once more she coughs, her body folding in on itself, one hand flying to her mouth. When she takes it away, there is blood on her palm. She stares at it, a knot of fear in her stomach - then slowly, deliberately, closes her fist.

"How long was I asleep?" She whispers.

"I don't know." Edmund softly replies. "An hour, maybe?"

She coughs again.

"Annie? Are you all right now? I mean, you were scary then - you wouldn't wake up. What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Her voice is hoarse all of a sudden. She looks at him quickly, irritably. "Put your jumper back on, will you? You'll freeze."

There is quiet, then a ruffling sound as Edmund puts his jumper back on.

"There. Is that better?"

She doesn't answer and stares down at the ice before her.

He sighs. "I'm sorry. Really, I am."

Annie shakes as she tries to ignore the itch in her throat. "It doesn't really matter now, does it?"

The itch breaks through and she is pitched forward onto her hands, coughing violently over the ice. When the spasms abate and she opens her eyes, dark patches of red are spreading below her. Her throat stings.

"That's blood." Edmund says blankly.

"Yes." Annie voice rasps. She coughs weakly once more.

"You're sick." He looks at her, and he looks frightened.

"I know."

There is another silence, filled only by the mysterious creakings and shiftings of the castle above them, and the continuous drip from an icicle on the ceiling.

"There was someone else here." Edmund whispers. "In through there."

He points into the shadows. Annie squints and makes out a set of rough bars, dividing their cell from another. She can see the glow of something in there - chains?

"He was - a faun. He said he'd met Lucy and Phillip."

"Mr Tumnus." Annie realises. She peers back into the shadows.

Edmund slowly nods. "But the Queen took him away. He -" He swallows. "I don't think it's good. What happened to the faun. I think he's in trouble."

She shivers, and pushes herself back until she is leaning against the wall next to Edmund. She wraps her arms around her knees. "I'm scared."

Edmund breathes in, breathes out. "Me too."

* * *

Phillip used to like wolves. He used to feel sorry for the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, or the Three Little Pigs, and felt somehow as if they had been misrepresented, as if they were kindly creatures who had just been made into villains. He used to wear a furry cap over his head and run around on all fours and howl at the sky, and would smile at his siblings when they pretended to run away in fear, for they had misunderstood the point of his game. He wanted to _be_ a wolf, and wolves wanted to be _friendly,_ not frightening.

All of those imaginary games were well in the past now, and he hadn't thought about them for years since. It was now that they chose to make their comeback - when he was running away from those same howls that, for the sake of his amusement, had tried to emulate all of those years ago.

Lucy is holding his hand, and she is scared. He can tell because of the expression on her face and the way she keeps looking behind her, the way her eyes flicker about and are wide and white. The Beavers are at the very front of the group, moving at a remarkable speed despite their size; Maisie and Susan and Michael are just behind, and turn around every now and then to shout panicked encouragements. Peter is running alongside the two youngest ones, his speed carefully modulated so they can keep up. His eyes are trained on the path ahead.

Soon the Beavers' cosy dam comes into view, as they round the top of the valley. Down they go, Phillip careful not to trip, not this time. This time he can't afford to fall. They rush into the dam, slamming the doors shut and bolting them tight, even though they won't hold if the wolves reach them. When the wolves reach them.

"We're trapped!" Susan calls.

"No, we're not!" Mr Beaver replies, rushing to a trapdoor in the wall. Mrs Beaver seems to instantly realise what is going on; she gives a cry of, "Oh!" and begins hurriedly light lanterns and shove them into the hands of the bemused children.

"There's no time to waste!" She shouts, finishing with the lanterns and beginning to pack foodstuffs into the red checked tablecloth. "Get into the tunnel, quick!"

The howls are almost upon them now. Mr Beaver is busy unlocking the trapdoor and flinging it open, revealing a dark cavernous space behind. Phillip makes his decision; clutching his lantern and Lucy's hand, he drags them both into the tunnel and starts off after the Beaver. The others pile in after them. They move forward as quickly as possible; twisting around corners and sloping up and down, their hands catching on loose roots in the tunnel walls and sending dirt tumbling to the floor. All of a sudden, they stop again, the Beaver hissing: "Shhh!"

The sound of muffled barks and scrapings echoes down.

Peter's voice, agitated and afraid, comes out of the darkness in a harsh whisper. "They're in the tunnel."

With no further words, they start off again, faster than before. Phillip loses all sense of direction and gives himself over to the fear, only just managing to run after the Beaver. When they come out into the snow and moonlight, the cold hits them all over again and he isn't sure whether or not he is relieved. He drops his lantern to the floor as he scrambles away from the door, turning around just in time to see Michael grab a nearby barrel and shove it into the doorway, cutting the wolves off mid-howl.

They are silent for a while longer. The boys lean their full weight on the barrel and wait, as the Beaver listens through the wall. Philip stands, his breathing just beginning to steady, the cold air sharp in his lungs, until the Beaver leans away and says, at full volume, "We're safe. They've gone back."

At that, they collectively relax. Maisie sits down against the small rise in the forest floor that the tunnel emerges from, and looks around. "Where are we?"

At that, Phillip looks around too. They can't see much - it is dark now, and the trees block out a lot of the moonlight. But he can tell that they are in the middle of the dark forest, a steep slope down to their left. At the bottom of this ravine, he thinks that he can see the glimmer of a river. They stand on the flat, but the path that they are on curves down and around and seems to meet the valley floor. To their right, there is a structure built into the hillside - a door and a few glass windows are visible. These windows are suspiciously dark. Phillip steps forward to get a closer look.

"My mate Badger lives here." The Beaver says confidently. "We built the tunnel a few months back, so we could get to each other's houses quicker. I 'spect he's gone to bed early, but we'll see if he's in, he won't mind being woken up -"

Phillip stands staring down at a collection of strange statues on the ground. They are in the shapes of badgers, some large, some small, all looking up with expressions of terror on their faces. Hearing Mr Beaver's words, Phillip's heart sinks. "Mr Beaver -!" He calls.

The Beaver comes to a halt before the statues, seemingly stricken. Mrs Beaver rushes forward and takes her husband's arm. "Oh, Beaver-"

"He was my best mate." The Beaver quietly says.

Phillip looks helplessly back at his siblings.

A disembodied voice comes out of the path behind them. "That's what happens to those who disobey the Queen."

The Beaver changes immediately, and whirls around, rage in his features and voice. "You! I'll make you into mittens, I will, you traitor -"

A fox emerges from the gloom, blinking. "Hold on a minute! Let's not be so hasty." His voice contains faint amusement.

The Beaver growls, and his wife steps in front of him cautiously. "You're one of them!" He spits. "It was you!"

The fox jumps nimbly down before them. "An unfortunate family resemblance. I am decidedly _not,_ as you say, one of them." A pair of shrewd brown eyes pass over the six children and register surprise. "Sons of Adam - Daughters of Eve - Dear me, the Queen would not be happy."

"What do you want, _traitor_?"

The fox doesn't reply to this, and sits composedly down. "She is on your tail, is she not?"

When no-on replies, he continues. "You will need to hide. It is of vital importance that you reach Aslan's camp. _All_ of you. The two who are missing - where are they?"

"With her." Maisie answers. "With the Queen."

For a moment he says nothing. Then; "It is therefore even more important. Aslan will help you to free them. I trust you know where to go? Good. Now - the Queen's forces are not far behind you. You've lost them for now, but they'll be here in the morning. You should all rest."

* * *

Maisie sits with her coat tucked underneath her, her legs crossed inside its oversized tails. The heat from the fire scorches her face, but her back is cold. She is quiet and thoughtful, listening to the quiet voices of the others.

"Aslan's camp is near to the Stone Table, south of Beruna." The fox says gravely, his audience rapt. "I have just come from there. The citizens of Narnia are gathering. They are ready to fight, now that Aslan is here. We can once more have hope that this winter will end."

"Have you seen him?" Lucy whispers. "Aslan, I mean."

The fox nods. "Only once, but that was enough."

"What was he like?" Mrs Beaver asks, her voice eager.

The fox smiles. "Like everything we've ever dreamed of."

There is a silence. Maisie looks over at them. Their faces are full of wonder. She supposes that she can understand why. For the Beavers, this is the long awaited light at the end of the tunnel. For Lucy and Phillip, this is some shining new world, an adventure.

She turns her head and looks at Susan, Peter and Michael. They, like her, stare into the fire with little expression or movement. She smiles without humour. They've all got the same thing on their minds - their missing siblings. She can almost see the guilt on Peter's face.

As she thinks that, his eyes flicker onto her - and stay there. She looks back. He has tears in his eyes. Peter is crying.

He looks away fast and it's as if the tears have disappeared. His face shuts up, and she's left to wonder whether she imagined it or not.

"You have to rest now, children." Mrs Beaver says. Maisie turns to her, blinking. She is blind from looking into the fire.

"Go to sleep." The fox says. Maisie has come to like his voice - it's reassuring and steady. He sounds just like her father.

And so, with a sigh, she lies down, flipping up the collar of her fur coat and wrapping it around her head. The ground is hard and cold, and the coat smells of dust, but she is very, very tired; so she sleeps.

* * *

Hours pass in the cell. They don't speak again - Annie drifts in and out of sleep, resting her head on Edmund's shoulder. She wakes up to discover that he's taken her jumper off again and has draped it over her shoulders. Too exhausted to do anything, she falls asleep again.

She wakes a while later because Edmund is shaking her. His face is lit by torchlight and behind him, there is the shadow of a person, of someone.

Still woozy, she is dragged to her feet by rough hands and has her wrists once more bound, this time tighter. She is wrestled up the stairs and across the chamber from before, out into the castle courtyard. She is flung down, and finally her head begins to stop spinning.

With a yelp, Edmund lands opposite her. She looks up at him, and then around. She sits in a sleigh, on the hard floor. A host of white reindeer stand harnessed, ready to drive them away. And above her - a woman in a white fur coat, eyes cold as ice.

"Hello children." The Queen smiles. "Did you sleep well?"

There is a whip crack, and the sleigh jolts forward. Annie looks at Edmund. There is a scratch on his face, and he is bleeding.

The landscape they pass through is newly lit by the morning sun. The light is harsh and cold, so Annie closes her eyes. She shudders and leans her head back against the wall, trying to ignore the jolts of the sleigh that occasionally cause her to convulse once more, her lungs feeling raw. She swallows the blood down, trying to ignore the taste it leaves in her mouth.

As the sleigh seems to draw to a halt, she opens her eyes. They are in the woods - Edmund is looking at her with concern.

The Queen stands up. She seems impossibly tall, impossibly pale. She crackles with power. The spear held in her hand is held tightly. Her face draws into a smile, but she isn't looking at them.

"Well." She says, her voice drawling and high pitched. "What do we have here?"

There is a fox, held in the mouth of a wolf. It is limp, subdued - but its eyes are moving.

"You didn't happen to see any children, did you?" She steps from the sleigh, her feet not sinking into the snow. "Any humans?"

The fox is silent. The Queen smiles more - gives a vicious swipe of her hand, and the wolf tightens its jaws.

The fox lets out a whine. Annie sees red seeping into the orange of the fur and cringes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." It gasps. "I haven't seen any children."

The Queen's head tilts to one side. "Oh, I think you have. Where did they go?"

The same again. The silence, the jaws, the sound. This time, blood drips onto the snow before the fox cries out.

"North! North! They went North."

A nod from the Queen, and the fox is released. The wolves streak away, the noise of them soon gone. The White Woman steps closer to the bundle on the ground. "Thank you for your information. If it is found to be untrue, I will be _very_ displeased. Do you understand?"

Annie cannot see. Black spots have begun to cloud her vision. She clenches her fists and tucks her head down. She coughs into her knees, feeling the blood drip down her chin and onto the front of her skirt. From somewhere very high above her, she hears the sound of the whip crack, feels herself being whisked away once more. The world is fading away from her again. There is a pain in her head, her throat, her stomach - her nails are cutting her palms. She misses Maisie and Michael and Phillip. She bites back a sob - she can't cry now. She can't let go, she has to hold on, because, because...

The sleigh moves onward. Annie refuses to let go.


End file.
